Adjustable drying rack



Jam 1962 HIDEO OKUNAMI 3,015,185

ADJUSTABLE DRYING RACK Filed Jan. 26, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet Z INVEN TORH1050 UKUNAMI Patented Jan. 2, 1962 3,015,185 ADJUSTABLE DRYING RACKHldeo Okunami, 12744 S. Ada St., Chicago, Ill. Filed Jan. 26, 1959, Ser.No. 788,877 2 Claims. (CI. 45-24) This invention relates to improvementsin drying racks. More particularly this invention relates to a dryingrack that is adjustable in use and collapsible when not in use.

The principal object of this invention is to provide a device for dryingarticles such as diapers, towels, dish cloths, and the like, which iscapable of ready adjustment to the size of the article for which it isemployed.

Another object of this invention is to provide a device for dryingarticles which permits facile and eflicient attachment and removal of aplurality of articles.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a device for dryingarticles which is easy to manipulate, space and time saving, andinexpensive.

Additional objects and advantages of this invention will become apparentas the following description proceeds,

taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:

7 FIGURE 1 is a top plan view of the device.

FIGURE 2 is a side elevation view of the device.

- FIGURE 3 is a side elevation view of the device at 90 to the viewshown in FIGURE 2. 7

@FIGURE 4 is an enlarged cross sectional view taken on line 4-4 ofFIGURE 1.

. FIGURES is a perspective view of the device illustrating a pluralityof articles suspended in position for drying.- p

FIGURE 6 is a top plan view illustrating the device in a collapsed orfolded position.

Referring now more particularly to FIGURE 1 of the drawings, the numeral10 designates a frame preferably comprising the substantially parallelpaired members or bars 11 and 12, and the transversely disposedsubstantially parallel paired members or bars 13 and 14. The bars may bemade of any suitable material such as wood, plastic, or metal. In theillustrated embodiment of this invention these elements are constructedof wood.

The bars 11 and 12 at their extremities are preferably provided withgrooves or slots 15, the openings of which are provided with stop meanssuch as pins 16. The function of the pins 16 will be explained laterwhen the operation of the device is discussed. The grooves or slots 15may be of any suitable length and of suflicient width to accommodatereleasable fastening members such as the bolts 17 provided with wingnuts 18. Although bolts and wing nuts are preferred as fasteningmembers, other means such as clamp knots may also be employed to equaladvantage.

Referring now by way of example to FIGURE 4 of the drawing, the shoulder19 and the shank portion 20 of the bolt 17 are inserted into apre-drilled hole in the bar 13 until the head 21 of the bolt 17 abutsthe bar 13. The shoulder 19 of the bolt 17 is preferably of the squaretype and fits snugly in the bar 13 to prevent rotation of the bolt; Theshank portion 20 of the bolt 17 is of sufficient length to pass throughthe groove or slot 15' in the bar 12 and to accommodate a washer 22 andthe wing nut 18. The washer 22 is preferably large enough to span theslot 15. This preferred arrangement of bolt, washer, wing nut andslotais found to greatly facilitate adjustment of the frame 10 to thedesired size.

The bars 13 and 14 are preferably provided with a plurality of retainingmembers 23 in spaced relation to one another along substantially theentire length of the bars, see FIGURE 2. The retaining members 23 may bemade of any suitable non-corrodible material and should be of suflicientstrength to withstand the weight of articles attached thereto fordrying. When the bars are made of such materials as plastic or metal,the members 23, for example, may be molded or cast as an integral partof the bars, or alternatively in the case of metal bars, may be securedthereto by solder brazing, etc.

In the preferred embodiment of this invention, the retaining members 23are passed through pre-drilled holes in the bars 13 and 14. One end ofeach of the members 23 is preferably provided with an eye or loop 24,see FIGURE 4, which serves to anchor the members 23 in the bars and toprevent their rotation from the desired posit-ion. The opposite end ofthe members 23 are preferably sharpened to a point sufliciently dull tobe unable to pierce the flesh and to tear the fibers of articles, andyet sufiiciently sharp to be able to cause the threads of closely wovenarticles to spread apart enlarging the interstices therebetween toenable the article to slip onto the body portion of the retainingmembers.

It is preferred that the body portion of the members 23 be in the shapeof a hook, see FIGURES 2 and 4. This preferred curvilinear shape of thebody portion of the members 23 not only permits ready attachment andremoval of articles therefrom, but prevents articles from beingdislodged due to jarring or swaying of either the articles or the frame10.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated, the bars 11 and 12 ofthe frame 10 are preferably provided with a plurality of supportingmembers or hooks 25. The bars 13 and 14 may similarly be provided withsuch hooks,

' but for ease in manipulating the apparatus it is preferred that thehooks be attached'to the bars 11 and 12. The

hooks 25 maybe secured to the bars by any suitable means and should bemade of a material sufiiciently strong to support the apparatus when alarge number of relatively heavy articles are attached theretofordrying.

The body portion of the hooks 25 is shaped to accommodate supportingmeans for the device such as clothes line, wire, etc., and is preferablyconstructed in one area to snugly engage the supporting means. Thus thedevice is not only prevented from sliding along the supporting means,but is prevented from being blown or jarred free from it.

In use, the device is suspended from supporting means such as, forexample, clothes line 26, by means of hooks 25, see FIGURE 5. Theadjustable bars 13 and 14 are independently and selectively spacedeither toward or away from each other by loosening the wing nuts 18 andsliding the bolts 17 along the slots 15 in the bars 11 and 12 until thebars 13 and 14 are the desired distance apart as determined by the sizeof the articles to be dried. The wing nuts 18 are then tightened and thearticles attached to the retaining member 23 for drying. The pins 16afford stop means to limit the extent to which the bars 13 and 14 may beadjusted outwardly with respect to each other thereby preventing theframe 10 from coming apart.

It has been demonstrated that the members 23 should be suitably spacedto permit circulation of air in and around the suspended articles.Although it is apparent that this distance may be subject toconsiderable variation, it has been discovered that when the members23are spaced at approximately 1 /2 inch intervals, articles such asdiapers dry in substantially the same length of time as diapers hungend-to-end on a clothes line by means of clothespins. 1

Removal of dried articles from the device is an extremely facile andefiicient operation. A large number of items may be detached by simplygrasping them with both hands and sliding them ofl? the retainingmembers. Moreover, the articles when dry are substantially wrinkle-free,uniform in shape, and ready for folding. Thus to a large extent thearduous task of ironing is materially lessened.

To store the apparatus when not in use it is merely necessary to loosenthe wing nuts 18 and move the bars 13 and 14 toward each other until theframe is collapsed or folded into a compact, easily stored unit, seeFIGURE 6. The pins 16 prevent the bolts 17 from slipping out of theslots and thus keep the frame 10 to-' gether. i i The dryingrackhereinabove described is particularly suitable for use in apartments,trailers, kitchens, bathrooms, basements, etc., where space is at apremium. It permits the drying of largenumbers of items in a minimum ofspace and time, while eliminating cumbersome and costly auxiliarylaundry accessories such as clothespins and long lengths of clothesline. What is more important, it materially reduces thework load of thehousewife and mother. Its simplicity of operation and its relativeinexpensiveness are added features of this valuable development.

In view of the fact that the objects of this invention noted hereinaboveare capable of being accomplished by other than the specific arrangementand combination of elements illustrated and described, it is intendedthat all such other arrangements and combinations as are suggestedhereby to those skilled in the art and coming within the spirit of thisinvention are included within its scope as best defined in the appendedclaims.

I claim:

1. An adjustable and collapsible drying rack comprising a substantiallyrectangular frame formed of two pairs of bars, the ends of one pair ofsaid bars being provided with slots for receiving releasable fastenersconnectable to the second pair of saidbars to permit selective adustmenttoward and away from each other of the bars comprising the second pairof bars and to enable said frame to be collapsed, a plurality ofdepending, evenly spaced retaining members anchored in each of saidsecond pair of bars, each of said retaining members in one bar of saidsecond pair of bars being directly opposite a retaining member in theother bar of said second pair of bars thereby form ing pairs of saidretaining members in spaced relation to one another along the lengthofsaid second pair of bars, said retaining members having the shape ofhooks the curvilinear portion of each of which lies along thelongitudinal axis of the bar in which the said retaining member isanchored, said curvilinear portion of each of said retaining membersbeing adapted to permit ready attachment and detachment of one end of anarticle to be suspended therefrom for drying and still preventinvoluntary dislodge'ment of the saidattached end of :said article whiledrying, and at least two restrictively curved open-end members anchoredin the upper portion of ,each bar of at least one pair of said bars forengaging supporting means for said rack.

2. An adjustable and collapsible drying rack as e a q s in claim 1wherein said retaining members are spac intervals of approximately 1%inches on each bar said second pairof bars whereby air can more readilycirculatei in and around articles suspended therefrom fondr'yir' g.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS648,745 Hofi May 1, 668,126 Gammill .I Feb. 12, 19111 813,707 JacksonFeb. 27', 19506 919,007 Hargrave Apr. 20, 1209 1,298,954 Johnshoy 1Ap r.1, 19.19 1,410,964 Spero Mar; 28, 1922 1,616,563 Allen Feb. 8,, 19271,621,765 Bonsworl; Mar. 22,1927 1,962,889 Bateman June 12,19342,228,645 Schmitz Jan; 14, 1941 2,372,388 Clements Mar. 2, 19432,483,792 Ten Cate Oct. 4, 1949

